Posts Tagged ‘2012’

As we barrel ever closer to the holiday season, we have an early Christmas treat from Ed Holly in the form of his Summer M & O newsletter, now available for download from the club website.

It’s another bumper edition; packed to the brim with all the news, gossip and adventures of ’60s racing cars and their drivers. This edition features an absolutely massive recap of the 2012 Tasman Revival, checks in at Barbagello, Sandown and Motorclassica, and catches up with all the pit gossip and more in the world of 1960s racing cars.

It’s packed with stories both fun and informative and plenty of stunning photos, and is well worth a read. Download it by clicking the handy link below, or right clicking and selecting ‘Save As’, and enjoy!

This gallery from the Tasman Revival, by Tom Taylor, is all about the little things.

It gets up close and personal to study the details of the magic machines that competed over the weekend and find the luscious lines, compelling curves and alluring angles that make these cars such a delight to behold.

We’re back once again from an absolutely immense and unquestionably tremendous weekend of historic motorsport, and have had a week to catch up with every day life and put together a neat collection of awesome coverage of the Tasman Revival. So let’s take a look at how it all played out.

Sydney Motorsport Park greeted us with open arms on Wednesday, as an incredibly diverse and storied collection of historic racing and sports cars began arriving at the track from around the world. Containers were unpacked, trailers unloaded, road-registerable racers rolled in and people got down to the details of preparing for four full days of racing historic cars.

Sydney Motorsport Park’s upgraded facilities were a joy to settle into for the weekend for all involved, and the Garage Cafe, corporate boxes and media centre only got more wonderful as the weather began to heat up over the course of the event.

The historic action got under way for private practice on Thursday, and had the track singing until early on Sunday evening. The tight but fair and considerate racing was a joy to spectate and with cars mostly pointed in the right direction on the black stuff, the events rolled on remarkably smoothly.

The feature Tasman Revival event was a sight to behold on Sunday, with the massive grid filling the main straight of Sydney Motorsport Park with a particularly alluring sparkle in the sunshine. Wonderful performances of the Australian and New Zealand national anthems were an inspiring way to kick off the race, which, after a bit of delay, fulfilled its promise in an exciting and beautifully-driven manner.

The Formula 5000s were, as always, as spectacular to watch as they are wonderful to listen to, and the brave drivers who flung them around the track put on a tremendous display.

As did the entirety of drivers who took to the track over the weekend in all historic classes. Sports cars, racing cars and vintage cars all weree immaculately prepared, raced to match and made an irreplaceable contribution to this very special event. We thank you all for getting involved, and especially for braving the particularly fierce sun over the weekend!

We’d also like to thank you all for making the pits, paddock and dummy grids a magical place to explore; full of stunning machines, good friends and all the tinkering and socialising that goes along with them.

Most importantly, we, and I’m sure everyone involved in the event, would like to extend our most immense and heartfelt ‘THANK YOU!’ to all of the organisers, entrants, spectators and especially the volunteers who dedicate such energy and passion to making these events possible. We are extremely grateful for your tireless and selfless support of historic racing and the HSRCA.

As we so often say, it’s the good friends, great people and camaraderie that make these events so wonderful. We’d like to thank everyone for coming along and getting involved. We may put together the framework, but it’s all of you who make the event!

We’ve had an absolute smorgasbord of photo galleries come through this week, and you can check ‘em all out below or on the HSRCA gallery page here. Thanks to all of the photographers who were so diligent in their coverage and quick to share it with everyone here! Make sure to check out their individual news posts, which have directions and contact details for their official websites and full galleries.

A huge field of historic sports and racing cars makes up the Tasman Revival; each as special, storied and wonderful as the next. This gallery from Rob Scheeren takes an in-depth look at the wonderful Porsches and the Porsche community that made Sydney Motorsport Park their home over the weekend.

After a big day of historic motorsport at Sydney Motorsport Park, we’ve wrapped up Friday’s qualifying and racing and are ready for a full day of racing tomorrow.

Today we enjoyed Channel 9′s TODAY show joining us for the weather, fashion photo shoots roaming the pits and paddock and, of course, plenty of historic motorsport and all the fun that goes along with it. We can’t wait for tomorrow!

Check out these photos from the day and make sure to keep checking in at the site over the coming days as we’ll have more photos and video going up as the event progresses along with full photo galleries in the days following.

If you’re heading out to the track this weekend and there’s anything you’d like to know we’ve compiled all the basics into a post here on the site, so hit this link!

A huge field of historic sports and racing cars has made its way from around the country, across the oceans and through the decades for the 2012 Tasman Revival, and we’re ready to fire the starting gun and let them all loose on Sydney Motorsport Park.

So we thought we’d bring together everything you need to know for a brilliant weekend of historic motorsport!

Spectator parking is available in P3 through Gate A up on the hill on the left. Once you’re through the gates you will be directed accordingly and you can hit this link for a parking map via Sydney Motorsport Park.

If you’d just like to know where the track is, consult the handy map below:

Once you’re there you’ll need some tickets, which you’ll be able to buy at the gate every day.

Pricing:

Friday – $20

Saturday – $25

Sunday – $35

Concession pricing for 13-17 year olds:

$5 Friday

$10 Saturday

$15 Sunday

Three day pass: $50
Sunday family pass for two adults and two children: $75Children under 12 years of age may attend free of charge

Ticket prices include parking, as well as entrance to grandstand seating and the competitor’s paddock (come say hi!). Lost tickets will not be replaced.

Food, drink and all manner of cool historic racing paraphernalia will be available at the track all weekend long to keep your tanks topped up and provide plenty to explore. Remember to bring comfy shoes, suncream and some walking around money, and keep plenty of water on hand.

If you’d like to know who’s entered the event, in what, and when they’ll be racing, right-click and ‘Save As’ the following links to download the provisional entry list and programme of events. These will be available in hard copy at the event.

A field of 17 thundering Formula 5000 race cars is set to break the sound barrier at the Shannons Tasman Revival race meeting on 23-25 November 2012 at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The crowd-thrilling 5-litre V8-engined machines will relive the 1970-1975 years of the original Tasman Series. When the Series commenced in 1964 eligible cars were based on Formula One type chassis using dedicated racing engines restricted to a capacity of 2.5 litres. The later V8 formula introduced production sourced engines which delivered greater horsepower of around 550bhp and produced roaring sounds which drew fans to the fences.

One of the pioneers of F5000 racing in Australia was Frank Matich who won the 1971 Australian Grand Prix in a car of his own design and manufacture. Matich will be in attendance as Patron of the race meeting and is looking forward to watching Aaron Lewis compete in his Matich A50, a sister car to the Grand Prix winner.

Making his first appearance in a F5000 will be Tom Tweedie in the ex-Team VDS Chevron B24, a car formerly raced by Lewis. Tweedie has raced with success in Formula Ford and Formula 3, and has also sampled Porsche Cup and V8 Supercars.

One of a number of cars coming from New Zealand is the Stan Redmond’s Lola T333 CS, once driven by Warwick Brown who is the only Australian to have won the Tasman Series (in 1975). Brown is among the 20 legendary drivers of the Tasman era who will be in attendance at the race meeting and take part in a drivers’ parade.

Returning from the USA where he is now based is expatriate Australian Bruce Leeson with his McLaren M10B. When these cars first raced Leeson was an accomplished photographer; he now provides the action on track rather than capturing the images.

On display at the meeting will be the first Formula 5000 driven by dual Australian Champion Kevin Bartlett. The unique Mildren Chevrolet has just been restored and will be on show in the Memorabilia Marquee.

Another ex-Bartlett car competing at the meeting will be Col Haste’s Brabham BT2 twin-cam. Powered by a 1.5 litre engine, the car was driven in the original Tasman Series by David Walker who later went overseas to drive in Formula One for Team Lotus. The well used car contested five Australian Grands Prix between 1964 and 1971.

A grid of over 40 1960s racing cars is set to contest the Tasman Revival race at Sydney Motor Sport Park on the Sunday of the three day meeting.

Stephen Knox OAM, chairman of the HSRCA’s Tasman Revival committee said this year’s Tasman Revival race over 15 laps will be the most fiercely contested race for single seat racing cars seen in this part of the world for more than 30 years. Looking at the grid make-up, there is any one of around 15 car and driver combinations capable of winning the event. With over 40 cars to make up the grid, not since the heady days of the 1960s and ‘70s were so many purpose built racing cars competing in the one race, it will make an incredible spectacle. Mr. Knox went on to say that Australian champion Frank Matich who is the Patron of the Meeting will be watching closely as many of the cars he competed against will be in the race.

Unfortunately, twice winner of the event John Smith is unable to attend and as a result the Lotus 49 will not be competing. John is slowly recovering from serious spinal injuries, the result of a recent motorbike accident in the US.

Amongst the estimated 15 cars capable of top rung on the podium, is the Brabham BT31 of Peter Strauss. This very quick car was (Sir) Jack Brabham’s for the Tasman Series in 1969, powered by a Repco Brabham 2.5 litre V8, a close relative to the engine that carried Jack in 1966 and Denny Hulme in 1967 to F1 World Championships. From NZ comes Murray Sinclair with a Brabham BT29 powered by a Cosworth FVC, a larger variant of the FVA which is a 4-valve engine producing over 235bhp from 1600cc. At least one FVA engined car is expected to be on the podium and with such a diversity of marques including Brabham, McLaren, Chevron, and Elfin it will be very difficult to pick a winner. Amongst the drivers competing will be Bob Cracknell, the Chairman of the CAMS Historic Commission, in an Elfin 600. Chris Farrell will be hard to beat, his Brabham BT30 is a very quick as is Chris himself. Debutant Tasman Revival competitor, Damon Hancock in the family’s Brabham BT23 has shown tremendous form in recent times and will definitely be close to the front. Ray Stubber from WA drives a variety of cars, and has shown he is a real force to be reckoned with in the Brabham BT29. Dark horse for the event is Richard Carter who was the 1976 TAA Formula Ford Driver toEuropewinner, and has never been quicker in his Elfin Mono twin-cam.

Concurrently with these very quick cars will be the pre-1965 category of around a dozen cars. Again the winner here could come from any one of 6 cars. Ed Holly’s Brabham BT6 has dominated this category in recent times, but Peter Studer in his Lotus 32 all the way from Switzerland, Adam Berryman with Bruce McLaren’s Cooper T70, Scotty Taylor’s Cooper T53 and Don Thallon’s Cooper T53 will all make for a spirited early category race within the main event, especially as the last three cars are powered by 2.5 Coventry Climax engines.

The Tasman Revival race is an incredible spectacle. These cars all lap theS ydney Motor Sport Park complex in about the same time as a V8 supercar. They do this with no aero aids, relying on mechanical grip from the tyres and suspension set-up alone. They accelerate to 100mph in around 7 seconds from a standing start and will attain speeds of around 165 miles per hour (265 kph) down the main straight. They invariably weigh under 450 Kg and the more powerful have around 300bhp on tap.

The Formula Junior International Challenge at the Tasman Revival at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMP) on the 25th November 2012 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Formula Junior Championship.

The 1962 event, held at Katoomba’s Catalina Park circuit, was won by Frank Matich who, incidentally, is the official patron of the Tasman Revival meeting. And, what’s more, the very car that Matich drove on that day, an Elfin built in South Australia, will also be here to compete in this special event.

Now owned in West Australia by Charlie Mitchell, the Elfin will line up with more than 40 Formula Juniors coming from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand and local Australian entries. In taking out the 1962 title, Matich and the Elfin beat the best Brabham and Lotus machines imported from the previously dominant overseas manufacturers.

The Brabham BT2 which Tasmanian Gavin Youl drove to second place behind Matich will also be racing at SMP, now driven by Queenslander Graham Brown. Youl was the first driver to compete in cars built by the Jack Brabham/Ron Tauranac organisation, their Formula Juniors being precursors to the later successful Formula One machines.

The Formula Junior category has tremendous support worldwide and offers a great spectacle of the evolutionary development of the diminutive racers between 1958 and 1963. While the earlier cars were front-engined, restricted to 1000cc and fitted with drum brakes, later examples had 1100cc engines in the rear and carried disc brakes.

Sponsor of the International Challenge is the multinational financial services company Credit Suisse, a renowned supporter of some of the world’s best motoring events such as the Goodwood Revival, Monaco Grand Prix Historique and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

As a further tribute to the meeting patron, a number of cars raced and constructed by Frank Matich will be competing and others displayed in a Memorabilia Marquee. Foremost amongst those on display will be the SR3 and SR4 sports cars which Frank used to dominate the 1967-1969 championships, and the McLaren M10B he drove to win the 1970 Australian Grand Prix.

The Memorabilia Marquee has become a regular feature of the biennial Tasman events hosted by the Historic Racing and Sports Car Association and the Australian Racing Drivers Club.

In just two weeks the very first of our competitors will be rolling in to Sydney Motorsport Park to unload their stunning historic racers and prepare for early practice and testing for the 2012 Tasman Revival.

And that’s pretty exciting!

We have a provisional entry list and programme of events online for you to download, and you can access them by clicking the following links, or right-clicking and selecting ‘Save As’.